Religions for Peace (Australia), formerly known as the World Conference of Religions for Peace (Australia) is Australia’s largest community-based organization working for inter-religious harmony and social cohesion.
In abbreviated form, it is known as RfP Australia. It is affiliated with the World Conference of Religions for Peace (now known as Religions for Peace International) with its headquarters in New York – its website is www.religionsforpeace.org It is the world’s largest international coalition of representatives from the world’s great religions dedicated to promoting peace. It has 54 national chapters together with cross-national interreligious councils in Africa, Europe, etc.
It strives also to create multireligious partnerships to confront the world’s most dire issues: stopping war, ending poverty and protecting the earth. Religious communities are the largest and best organized civil institutions in the world, claiming the allegiance of billions across cultural, racial, language, class and cast divides. As grassroots organizations, they have country-based and culturally-based infrastructure and resources to mobilize people as necessary and to deploy assistance and support to where it is most needed.
The mission of Religions for Peace Australia is to work for interreligious peace and harmony and for social cohesion in Australia as well as upholding the universal values of authentic religion and spirituality. Its aims are:
- (a) to work with faith traditions and religious organizations for interreligious understanding and harmony in Australia, including the right to freedom of belief, and across the world
- (b) to highlight the salience of religion in multifaith Australia, highlighting its resources and the importance of religion and spirituality in national life
- (c) to work with religious and interfaith organizations as well as with government and civil agencies in achieving social cohesion in Australia
- (d) to create social wealth for the Australian nation, ensuring that the role of religious bodies is positively appreciated
- (e) to sponsor activities and events, including research and evaluative studies, into the multicultural and interfaith perspective in society
- (f) to work with educational bodies to educate the different levels and sectors of society about religion itself and the many faith traditions
- (g) to support national and local interfaith organizations in Australia in their work in local government areas
- (h) to organise meetings of religious leaders at national and local levels and with political and civic leaders
- (i) to encourage interfaith activity and the formation of interfaith organizations among particular groups, including the young
